(a) Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a powered decapping tool used to remove a cap from a bottle or vial. In the parent application, referenced above, the tool, having a plurality of crimping jaws, is used to secure a cap onto a bottle or vial. In contrast, in this application, an alternative plunger and jaws are employed to permit removal of the cap previously crimped onto the bottle or vial. The powered tool has a housing portion which the user holds and includes switches for the user to control the decapping action. The decapping action results from a motor causing a plunger to move downward, thereby initially closing a plurality of jaws and continuing downward to cooperate with the jaws to remove the cap from the bottle or vial.
(b) Description of the Prior Art
Some bottles or vials to contain liquid samples or other laboratory materials have an opening thereinto which includes a lip onto which a cap is crimped to seal the bottle or vial. In general, for example, the cap can be aluminum or steel, with sample diameters of from about 8 mm to about 22 mm, or greater. Typically the cap has a cylindrical portion which fits over the bottle lip and is then crimped thereunder; the cap has a top with a circular opening therein; the inside of the cap contains a rubber circular portion next to the cap and a Teflon circular portion next to the bottle, although many variations are known. In use, a sample is placed into the bottle or vial and a cap is placed thereon. A crimping tool is then employed to crimp the cap onto the bottle. When a portion of the sample is to be removed, a syringe is inserted through the rubber and Teflon circular portions and the desired amount of the sample is removed. U.S. Pat. No. 5,579,626, to Applicant Thomas, incorporated herein by reference, teaches a manually operated crimping tool for securing a cap onto a bottle or vial. That invention teaches the use of jaws 70 and a manually driven plunger 50 which have a similar vertically downward crimping movement to the instant invention without the adjustment means for the crimping cycle. That reference teaches horizontal handle movement resulting in vertical plunger movement.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,987,722, to Koebbeman, teaches a hand-held bottle cap crimper having a pair of horizontal crimping handles, one upper fixed handle and one lower lever handle which moves about a single pivot point to move a crimper, the pivot point being between jaws and the handles so that the tool functions in a see saw fashion.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,745,729 to Bethge et al., teaches a container closing apparatus used to put on a screw cap. U.S. Pat. No. 3,998,032, to Koebbeman, teaches a hand-held bottle cap crimper having a pair of horizontal crimping handles, one lower fixed handle and one upper lever handle which moves about a single pivot point to move a crimper, the jaws being between the pivot-point and the handles.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,332,211, to Koll et al., teaches a cap applying apparatus. U.S. Pat. No. 3,217,519, to Demler, teaches a coaxial crimping tool. U.S. Pat. No. 2,415,896, to Marsh et al., a cap applying implement.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,327,697, to Kent, teaches a chuck for a bottle capper. U.S. Pat. No. 3,771,284, to Boeckmann et al., teaches a capping apparatus. Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 3,747,441, to Amtsberg et al., teaches a pneumatic tool having combined nut running and crimping mechanism.
Manual decapping tools are also known for use in removing a cap from a bottle or vial.
The invention of the parent application relates to a powered crimping tool used to secure a cap onto a bottle or vial. The powered tool has a vertical housing portion which the user holds 5 while activating the crimping action. The crimping action results from a motor causing a plunger to move downward, thereby initially closing a plurality of jaws and continuing downward to cooperate with the jaws to secure the cap on the bottle or vial. Means are provided to adjust the starting point of the crimping cycle or the plunger upper limit, as well as the finishing point of the crimping cycle or the plunger lower limit.
More particularly, the invention of the parent application comprises a housing containing a battery-operated motor. A speed reduction system having a ratio of about 64 to 1 causes a plunger lead screw to rotate at a speed of about 1/64th the motor speed. The plunger lead screw has a threaded drive shaft which is threadably received within the plunger threaded drive channel. Rotation of the plunger lead screw threaded drive shaft results in vertical movement of the plunger, as limited by the plunger hex guide members vertical travel within the hex plunger channel in an insert. With the plunger toward its upper limit, the powered crimping tool is in an xe2x80x9cjaws openxe2x80x9d position, whereby a portion of the jaws fit into an hour glass shaped portion of the plunger to permit the jaws to be open. As the plunger moves downward, the jaws close and then, as the plunger continues downward, a cap is crimped onto a vial or bottle by the cooperation of the plunger and the jaws. Preferably, the jaws are retained about the plunger by a circular spring, band, or other confining means which tries to pull the jaws together toward their upper end, as limited by the plunger.
Both the upper and lower limits of the plunger can be adjusted. The total movement of plunger from the upper to lower limit and back to the upper limit is controlled. Further, once the plunger has moved through a pre-set vertical distance, the plunger will complete one crimping cycle without the user having to continue to engage a control. This frees the user to concentrate on the crimping operation.
Further, the invention of the parent application comprises a crimping tool, having a housing containing a motor therein; a plunger moveable by the motor between a start position and a start position; a plurality of jaws extending from the housing, each of the plurality of jaws having an upper opening portion and a lower crimping portion with an arcuate plunger slide area therebetween; the crimping portion having an inward crimping lip; the plurality of jaws and the plunger being in an abutting relationship; the jaws being in an open position when the plunger is at the start position and in a closed position when the plunger is at the stop position; and, means for electronically adjusting the stop position. The tool can also include optional means for electronically adjusting the start position.
Finally, the invention of the parent application is for a powered crimping tool, comprising: a housing containing a motor therein, the housing having a trigger switch, a rocker switch or alternatively two adjustment switches, and a reset switch; the housing containing a circuit board having a controller operably connected thereto, the trigger switch, the rocker switch or two adjustment switches, and the reset switch being operably connected to the controller; the motor includes a pulse disk on a motor powered shaft and where the tool includes a pulse sensor, the motor powered shaft being operably connected through a speed reduction system and a plunger lead screw to a plunger movable between the start position with a value of xe2x80x9cxxe2x80x9d counts and a stop position having a value of xe2x80x9cyxe2x80x9d counts; where, by operation of the trigger switch and the motor thereby, the controller will cause the motor powered shaft to rotate until the pulse sensor has detected a first selected number of pulses with a value of xe2x80x9cy-xxe2x80x9d counts from the pulse disk to move the piston from the start to the stop position, unless a stall condition is detected, and when the first selected number of pulses has been detected or the stall condition is detected, the motor powered shaft will rotate to return the piston to the start position; a plurality of jaws extending from the housing each of the plurality of jaws having an upper opening portion and a lower crimping portion with an arcuate plunger slide area therebetween; the crimping portion having an inward crimping lip; the plurality of jaws and the plunger being in an abutting relationship; the jaws being in an open position when the plunger is at the start position and in a closed position when the plunger is at the stop position; where, optionally, when the tool is in a reset mode, the rocker switch can be pressed to adjust the start position and the value of xe2x80x9cxxe2x80x9d countsxe2x80x9c; and, where, when the tool is in a crimp mode, the rocker switch can be pressed to adjust the stop position and the value of xe2x80x9cyxe2x80x9d counts. As an alternative to a rocker switch, two individual adjustment switches can be employed as up and down buttons.
Also, the plunger may have a no return position with a value of xe2x80x9czxe2x80x9d counts, the no return position being intermediate of or between the start position and the stop position; and, where, upon activation of the trigger switch with the tool in the crimp mode, after the plunger has moved a value of xe2x80x9cz-xxe2x80x9d counts, the activation of the trigger switch becomes unnecessary for the controller to move the plunger an additional xe2x80x9cy-zxe2x80x9d to the stop position, unless the stall condition is detected, and to return the piston to the start position.
The present invention employs a different plunger and different jaws with the same housing, motor, speed reduction system, and control system to provide a powered decapping tool. With the instant jaws and plunger, the tool, with the jaws open, is placed over a capped vial or bottle. When the tool is activated, the motor, through the speed reduction system, moves the plunger downward, thereby closing the jaws. The plunger continues downward to force the vial or bottle downward and thereby removing the cap therefrom. Alternative jaws can be utilized. A first type of jaws is sized so that, when closed, the jaws will have an opening diameter of just greater than the diameter of the bottle or vial to be decapped. As the plunger moves down to engage the top of the cap, the jaws will engage the cap toward the cap underside where the cap is crimped underneath the bottle or vial opening lip. The alternative second type of jaws contains a toothed portion so that it engages the sides of the cap as the jaws are closed by the downward movement of the plunger.
The decapper of the present invention comprises a housing including a motor therein, the motor including a pulse disk on a motor powered shaft; a plunger movable by the motor between a start position, an intermediate position, and a stop position; a plurality of jaws extending from the housing, each of the plurality of jaws having an upper opening portion and a lower decapping portion with an arcuate plunger slide area therebetween; the decapping portion having a cap retainer; the plurality of jaws and the plunger being in an abutting relationship to pivot the jaws to an open position when the plunger is at the start position, to pivot the jaws to a closed position when the plunger is at the intermediate position and to retain the jaws in the closed position while the plunger moves to the stop position; and, a pulse sensor, where the motor powered shaft will rotate until the pulse sensor has detected a selected number of pulses from the pulse disk to move the piston from the start to the stop position, the selected number of pulses being adjustable. The cap retainer of each of the plurality of jaws comprises a cap engaging lip or a cap side engaging tooth.